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Sunday, December 23, 2007

Palestinian Christians prepare for Christmas, call for Israel to drop title of "Jewish state"

Patriarch rapped for anti-Israel remarksJewish groups denounced remarks by Patriarch Michel Sabbah as an "insidious campaign to de-Judaize the State of Israel".Sunday, December 23, 2007By Martin Barillas

Both the Anti-Defamation League and The Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced statements made by Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah in his annual Christmas message on December 19th. The Simon Wiesenthal Center called on Pope Benedict XVI to reject statements made by Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah last week in Jerusalem. Rabbi Marvin Hier, the founder and dean of the center, claims that Patriarch Sabbah is engaging in an "insidious campaign to de-Judaize the State of Israel". This came in response to the patriarch's call on Israel to "discard its identity as a Jewish State".

The leader of Latin-rite Catholics in Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, the West Bank and Gaza Patriarch Michel Sabbah said that where "there's a state of one religion, other religions are naturally discriminated against'' and that Israel should bring about a ''political, normal state." Furthermore, the prelate pronounced "There is discrimination linked to the nature of the state. Israel says simply 'I am a Jewish state' and that creates discrimination with regard to non-Jews."(MORE)